Plans to use the Putnam armory as a new home for the northeastern Connecticut probate court are not off the table yet, town officials said Monday.

“We’re in the middle of an engineering study now and could know how much available space we’d have in six months,” Town Administrator Doug Cutler said. “And that’s a conservative figure. We’re still interested, but we have to do our due diligence, and the needs of the town comes first.”

On Friday, members of the Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments asked Brooklyn First Selectman Austin Tanner to prepare a cost and space proposal for moving the court into that town’s recreation building, a request made after the revelation that the armory might not be a court option for years.

Cutler said the armory’s main use will be as an operations and maintenance building for the Water Pollution Control Agency, with space set aside for the public works and recreation departments. The town could also move economic development offices into the facility.

“The study we’re doing now will determine what environmental and rehab work needs to be done,” Cutler said. “And that stage will not take years. If the court is looking for a decision by Jan. 1 for the next fiscal year, we can’t accommodate that schedule. But it’s not off the table. We need to know what space we’d have available first.”

During a special meeting of the Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, Executive Director John Filchak said he was told it would be “quite a while” before Putnam officials could guarantee use of the Keech Street armory for the court.

The armory was a favored choice among community leaders for the court, which operates now at Thompson Town Hall. Judge Leah Schad has complained of privacy and space issues at the building, which was offered as a temporary court site two years ago after the state consolidated the probate court system into regional districts.

News of a possible long-term delay in the armory’s availability led council members to focus on space in Brooklyn. Tanner said the town has a couple of options in mind for court space, including folding the operation into the recreation department building on South Main Street, or offering the building entirely for the court’s use and moving the recreation department to the community center on Tiffany Street.

Filchak said news that Putnam could have a clearer idea in months of the armory’s availability means the town could still be an option, though council members are pushing for a quick resolution to the location issue.

“They’re of the mind to move forward to find a permanent home for the court,” he said. “And the numbers for Putnam are still an unknown.

Page 2 of 2 -
Filchak said the eight council members will need preliminary rent costs for the court for budget planning. Currently, Thompson does not charge the court rent.

Thompson First Selectman Larry Groh, who suggested holding off on any court move until the armory was again an option, said on Monday he even more determined to hold off on shifting the court until Putnam can provide more details on the armory.

“I’m definitely for waiting, especially when it could be a matter of months regarding Putnam,” he said. “I’ve said from day one, even before the probate court reconfiguration, that Putnam is most viable option for the court. The majority of the population for the district is there. Even if it means waiting a year for the rent and space information, we should wait instead of jumping to move.”